Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 4
In our previous restorative practices in this series we have been releasing different sets of organs: the lungs and the heart; the stomach, liver and intestines; the kidneys and the bladder. In this practice, we will support the adrenal glands and support the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Give the full weight of the head to whatever prop is supporting it. Soften the neck and the throat. Soften and widen the upper back, between the shoulder blades.
- Soften the abdomen and the buttocks. Create space and freedom inside the pelvis, especially around the inner face of the sacrum.
- Create Space around the kidneys and the adrenal glands, inside and below the floating ribs. Allow that space to envelope and support the organs.
- Allow the exhalations to be soft and easy. Take care to allow the abdomen, ribs and diaphragm to be completely relaxed at the end of each exhalation and for the inhalations to roll in easily, without being forced.
- In the final poses of the sequence, allow the exhalations to get slightly longer than the inhalations, but again, without forcing. (more…)
Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 2
This week our focus is on creating softness and space around the kidneys and bladder.
The Sequence:
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the time to come.
- Become aware of the movement in the torso as you breath. With the exhalations it empties, narrowing and lengthening. With the inhalation it fills, widening and deepening. Become aware of the inner volume of the body, the chest and abdominal cavities, and the way it changes as you breathe.
- Become aware of the movement of the abdomen and the lower back. With the inhalation, the diaphragm moves down and the abdomen and lower back expand. With the exhalation, the diaphragm moves up and the abdomen and lower back narrow. Observe the contents of the abdominal cavity and the way they move and are reshaped with the breath.
Restorative Practice: Movement of the Breath 2
In today’s practice we are going to look at the movement of the abdomen and the lower back with the breath. You can think of the lower torso as a great big water balloon. As you exhale, the diaphragm moves up and the water balloon becomes slack: the abdomen and lower back soften; the pelvic floor moves up the length of the body towards the head. With the inhalation, the diaphragm moves down and the water ballon expands in every other dimension: the abdominal wall and the lower back expand; the pelvic floor descends.
As with our previous sequence in this theme, the first few poses stretch out the lower torso, while the latter half of the practice focuses on observing and freeing up the area to allow the movement to develop. (more…)
Restorative Practice: Observing the Movement of the Breath 1
The theme for this month is observation of the movement that the breath creates in the body. In today’s practice we will observe the movement of the ribcage. With the exhalations, the ribs drape down the length of the body from the head towards the hips. The sternum drops towards the pubic bone and the curvature of the thoracic spine lessens. The volume inside gets smaller, the ribcage itself getting narrower and shallower.
On the inhalation the reverse happens. The ribs expand and lift towards the head. The sternum lifts, swinging up like the handle of an upright water pump. The curvature of the thoracic spine increases as does the volume inside, the ribcage itself getting wider and deeper.
The first few poses of the practice serve to release the muscles and connective tissue around the ribcage so that, in the later poses, you might more easily observe the movement. (more…)
Restorative Practice: Surrendering to Gravity 4
Last week we worked on releasing the lower body. This week, our focus will be releasing the upper body, releasing the arms, the upper back, the chest and the neck.
The Sequence:
Centering [1 to 3 minutes]
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the day to come.
- Become aware of the movement of the ribcage as you breath: expanding and rising with the inhalations, draping down the length of the body with the exhalations. Allow the shoulders to settle on the ribs. Observe as they rise and separate with the inhalations, observe as the sink with the exhalations. (more…)
Restorative Practice: Surrendering to Gravity 3
In this practice, we will focus on surrendering the legs and pelvis to gravity, creating opening in the joints of the legs and hips, while allowing the back and abdomen to soften and release.
The Sequence:
Centering [1 to 3 minutes]
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the day to come.
Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) [1 to 2 minutes]
- Set yourself up with two blankets under the shins only, the feet and ankles dropping off the edge of the blankets onto the mat. Have also a blanket behind the knees to softly open up the knee joints.
- Wrap a belt around the thighs and ankles to pull the tops of the thighs down towards the floor.
- Have a block or blankets under the sitting bones if necessary.
- Sit in this position quietly for a minute or two.
Restorative Practice: Surrendering to Gravity 2
Once again, the focus of this restorative sequence is on orienting the body in relation to the pull of gravity. After spending time centering and becoming aware of the breath and the movement it creates in the body, we take a series of hanging poses, suspended from the ropes. In this way the body can release fully into the shapes of the poses without having to expend energy to support itself at all. Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose), Viparita Karani (Upside Down Pose) and Adho Mukha Shavasana (Downward Facing Corpse Pose) follow with the body draped over a bolster to achieve a similar hanging effect. (more…)
Restorative Practice: Surrendering to Gravity 1
The goal of this restorative sequence is to become aware of your various parts in relation to the pull of gravity. First we release each of the limbs individually, then the chest and abdomen, followed by the back body and the head and neck. With the physical body completely released, we release the sense organs and turn our attention to the breath, encouraging it to flow smoothly without encumbrance. Finally, with the body and the breath free, we observe the effect this has on the mind as it flows freely. (more…)
2010 Witold Fitz-Simon.
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